Cédric Nininahazwe

Cédric Nininahazwe is the Executive Director of RNJ+, Burundi's national network of young people living with HIV. Cédric is Burundi's focal point for the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, and has spoken on the rights of young people living with HIV in many advocacy forums. – Julie Mellin, Manager at Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA)

Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

Apart of advocacy activities towords stakeholders in the different meeting, in 2012 I produced a report on the problematic of care of young people living with HIV, with a particular emphasis on the consequences of the abesence of sexual and reproductive health services to young people living with HIV. (http://cedricnininahazwe.tumblr.com/post/141436365242/challenges-of-heal...)

In 2014 I initiated a friendly and attractive youth center offering SRH services for youth in general and especially to the young key population ( MSM ,sex worker ,young people living with VIH. Till now the center has already offered SSR service to 4482 young people between 10-24 (http://www.rnjplusburundi.org/index.php/centre-jeunes)

What sparked your passion for family planning?

As one of the leaders of the National Network of Youth living with HIV, I was greatly influenced by the increase of unwanted pregnancies among adolescents have living with HIV, the discrimination of key population, making difficult access to SRHR service. It was impossible to sit idle.
producing a report was an entry point for raising the issue. The report led to based evidence advocacy and allowed to have the funds to open the friendly and attractive centre through third link up the project.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your family planning efforts, and what have you done to overcome it?

the opening of a youth center that focuses on the key population in a context where there is criminalization and discrimination of key population had a large risk with respect to national legislation . However, to protect us we educated allies among the decision-maker to continue to provide SRHR services to young key population .

What is your (country/region/city)’s biggest challenge in family planning, and how can it be addressed?

The biggest challenge in my country is the ignorance of the population on the importance of family plannig and accessibility to services because of long distance or their availability .The other challenge is the criminalisation of the key population because it hinders access to the SRHR service.To bet with these challenges, it's essential to increase awareness sessions in the population and stakeholders, multiply the friendly and attractive youth center offering people SRHR servicesto all young

What do you want to accomplish in the next 5 years?

My current plan is to make that the center becomes autonomous seen that there is reduce of fundings and advocate for the introduction of strategies and sevirces of the youth freindly centre in public health facilities . I will continue to advocate for the abolition of laws criminalizing key populations to facilitate their access to SRH services without fear of discrimination and stigmation . Finally, I will continue raising awareness among population espacially young people .